After Saving the World
by Dante Morose
Summary: Life continues even after the story ends. For some it means back to the old life. For others, a chance to start over, again. These are lighthearted chapters based around Seventh Heaven because Gaia knows Cloud deserves a break and Tifa needs a love life.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't claim to own FFVII, nor do I.

Synopsis: I don't know that many people remember Johnny or Johnny's Café from _On the Way to a Smile: Case of Denzel_, but he is there. Something that always perked my interest was the fact that Johnny has had a crush on Tifa for the longest time, but everyone seems to pair poor Tifa with Cloud without considering her other options. I thought I'd try giving Johnny the courage to ask Tifa out and see how it all plays out.

If you haven't read/listened-to _On the Way to a Smile_, I recommend it. The stories lend insight into the characters during their everyday lives, so this is where I'm drawing my facts from. Oh, and all this is taking place about a year after Deep Ground. Cheers!

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><p>Tifa smiled faintly across the counter.<p>

He had been sitting there almost since she had opened that night. Round after round of coffee he'd order, never taking anything else. After the first hour Tifa had Marlene wait on tables at the other side of the bar to keep away from him – that is, until things got too rowdy and she had sent the girl upstairs to prepare for bed. That left Tifa to do all the waiting, cooking, ushering (if someone had a bit too much to drink), and at the end of it all, the clean-up.

Never had she wanted so badly for the night to be over.

Glancing to the table again, Tifa tried to shove the thoughts of the mysterious stranger from her head. It was Saturday and the construction workers of Edge were looking for something to pick them up before Monday and another five days of lousy labor. She didn't have time for dallying.

Pouring a shot, Tifa slid it to the first man sitting up to the counter. "And what'll you have?" she questioned in general.

"Same," the next few ordered.

"Right up," she pulled out a few more short-glasses and distributed them before stepping out to take the orders from the family that had just walked in.

"How's everyone tonight?" Tifa forced a bright smile past her weary countenance. The children beamed at her, but it didn't fool their parents.

"Busy night?" the mother queried with a quiet gentleness in her tone.

Tifa smiled more naturally before shrugging nonchalantly. "Always is."

Tifa felt the time pass as her feet got sore from rushing about trying to please everyone. Shelke had come down to offer assistance, and with gratitude in her eyes, Tifa assigned her to dish washing and to help keep the coffee going to that reticent loner in the corner.

He was still there. Every time she got the chance, she stole a discreet glance in his direction. He was always ready to meet her eyes. She knew she should feel uncomfortable, maybe even creeped out, but it didn't bother her so much, at least with the increasingly loud and lewd comments spilling from the worker's mouths. She had noticed that by nine most of the family customers had receded into the growing night leaving behind a crowd of descent men turned rouge.

It made her sad knowing that most of these men were normally wonderful people, the kind that might even go out of their way to help strangers in the street. But after a good dosing of alcohol each, they became vulgar, rude, and in some cases, formidable. She normally had Barret or Cloud to help her with the drunkards – not that she couldn't handle it, but more that she didn't _want _to – but Cloud wouldn't be back from his deliveries till late in the night and Barret also wasn't due back for another hour or so.

Meekly, Tifa sent Shelke to put Denzel and Marlene to bed while she managed crowd control. Glancing at the man in the corner she decided his quiet demeanor was more inviting than those seated in front of her. Taking up the pot of coffee, she skirted around the bar and worked her way to the table.

"More?" she asked simply.

"Sure," the man held his cup toward her and offered a sincere, bright smile.

Instantly Tifa was taken aback. At first he had reminded her of Cloud – quiet, yet peaceful and giving her a sense of security – but what she saw before her reminded her of a boyish man playing at being an adult but pulling it off with the grace of Reno after a couple rounds of those aforementioned drinks.

Her observation made her pause with her hand still wavering over his proffered cup.

"Something the matter, miss?" his smile dimmed faintly, but still held that boyish charm.

"No," Tifa shook her head and smiled. "No," she repeated. "Just a bit tired I guess."

"Need any help?" he offered quite unexpectedly.

"I, um– uh," she stuttered.

He explained hastily. "I may not know bar tending, but I own a café a little way from here so I wouldn't be totally useless." He gave her a bright grin of confidence.

From behind her the group of workers had started a quibble that ended swiftly once Shelke had rushed back downstairs from putting the kids to bed and logically found a solution to solve their differences. At least the men weren't past reason yet. That was when Tifa would have to get rid of them. If she didn't, cleaning up tonight would take _much _longer than she wanted.

"Thanks for the offer," she stole a glance at the clock by the bar, "but I have 'reinforcements' coming soon." Internally she begged that either Barret or Cloud would be home before things got out of hand.

His disappointment was deeper than she would have expected, but he seemed to shove it aside and gave her another blinding grin. "Alright, but if you need any help before your…'reinforcements' arrive, you give me a holler. The name's Johnny."

"Nice to meet you, Johnny." Tifa smiled and retreated behind the counter once more.

The minutes dragged by as though to increase her torture. Even on busy nights Tifa was quiet the gadabout, but tonight all she wanted was to collapse on her bed in her room – her _quiet_ room. Even Shelke was starting to look more dead than alive on her feet, and she joined Tifa's ritual in glancing at the clock every three minutes. _Where was Barret? _He was supposed to be home by now.

"Heeeeyyy, lady," one of the men slurred. There were only about a dozen people left in the bar, but barring Johnny, none seemed sober enough to stand on their feet. It was time for them to go home.

She marched over to the table, trying to look authoritative, but feeling half that. "Time to go."

"You," the man pointed at her and laughed silently, his mouth gaping but no sound pervading the air. In a smarmy voice he spoke. "Shiva, you're hot enough to be a centerfold model."

Her face reddened, and the sudden urge to snap back rose in her chest. She took in a sharp breath, ready to rebuke and then literally _throw _him out the front door, but a hand on her shoulder stopped her.

"The lady said it's time to go."

She looked back, shrugging off the hand. "Johnny," she said simply. Her brain was working mighty slowly that night. In the time it took her to process that Johnny had come to rescue her, Johnny and the drunken worker were brawling on the floor.

"No, not tonight," she begged aloud, but it was already too late.

A gunshot fired through the air, diffusing the situation instantly and balkanizing the men.

"You guys havin' problems?" A gruff baritone voice cut through the tense atmosphere. Johnny wiped at his split lip, and the other man rolled his shoulders, seemingly untouched.

Heavy footsteps crossed the wooden floor until they were right next to Tifa.

_Barret, _Tifa sighed. _Thank you_.

"Well?" Barret questioned, though it came out demanding. "You got problems, settle 'em outside! The bar is closed! Now get out!"

With mumbled grumbling, everyone left, staggering through the doorway and leaving Tifa flinching as one threw up his supper onto her formerly clean floor. Johnny turned to go, albeit reluctantly, but Tifa laid a gentle hand on his arm. "Wait, Johnny."

He turned back.

Barret interrupted. "You got this, Tifa?"

"Yes," she nodded.

"I'm goin' to check on Marlene," he stated and walked toward the back. Upon passing Shelke he added, "Ya might want to look in to getting some sleep."

She nodded listlessly.

Alerted to Shelke's presence once more, Tifa gave her a small, tired smile. "Barret's right. Why don't you get to bed? I'll take care of things here."

She barely nodded, too tired to argue about staying to help, and tromped up the stairs.

"Who's…?" Johnny's question trailed after her.

"That's Shelke," Tifa said simply.

"And the other one?"

"Barret."

"A…friend?"

Even ridden with exhaustion, Tifa had to laugh. "Yes, but only that. His daughter Marlene lives here under my care while he's away."

"Ah, I see," he finally gave her another winning smile, although this time it was hampered by the blood filling the cut on his lip.

"Well, Prince Charming," Tifa teased, "that was some rescue." He blushed, but she knew he had tried, so she went on. "I know who has my back now. I appreciate it." That earned her an upward tug of the lips. "Can I repay you by helping you fix that up?"

"Oh, yes ma'am," he replied cheerfully, then a bit modestly, he added, "if it's not too much trouble."

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><p>It had been a long day for Cloud. One monster after another kept appearing till the three day trip from Junon to Edge turned into a weeklong affair. He had even been forced to call Tifa in the middle somewhere so she wouldn't worry when he didn't come home on time.<p>

Running on next to no sleep, both his arms sore from fighting every ten minutes _all week long, _and something similar to a common cold trying to worm into his system, Cloud was not in the best of moods. For the past three hours he had managed to ride through the darkness in relatively uninterrupted silence. It would have been perfect except he had inexplicably dozed off and rolled Fenrir. Again: Cloud was not in the best mood.

So when he walked in the back door of the bar and heard laughter in the main room, he just closed his eyes and leaned back against the door as it closed. Sinking down, he sighed deeply, not wanting to move even with his bed upstairs and him down there.

A muffled voice echoed to him from the bar. A few moments later, Tifa was shaking his shoulder softly and calling his name.

"Cloud. Come on, Cloud, wake up." She coaxed his heavy eyelids open before chiding. "You can't sleep here."

"Try and stop me," Cloud mumbled. He let his head hit the door behind him with a soft _thump _before closing his eyes again.

"Everything alright in there?" An unfamiliar voice checked in from the other room.

"Yes," Tifa answered. "Cloud's home."

"Who's in there?" Cloud drew her attention back to him without opening his eyes.

"A friend," she responded simply. "He helped me a bit with the bar tonight and now he's helping me clean up since everyone else went to bed."

Cloud's eyes opened again, revealing a twinge of guilt. "Do you need any more help?"

"No," she responded without thinking, then elaborated. "We're almost done…and you look absolutely filthy. You'd only get everything dirty again."

"Hmph."

Mixing a light tease with concern, Tifa questioned, "What have you been doing? Making mud-pies?"

Cloud almost let a wry smirk pass onto his lips. "Something like that."

Johnny called out again, "Tifa?"

"Coming!" she shouted back, remembering seconds later how many people were trying to sleep.

"A friend?" Cloud repeated from earlier, looking past her as though he could see through walls.

"Yes," she tilted her head. "Jealous?"

Cloud's eyes snapped back to her.

She giggled softly before getting up. Cloud followed suit and slumped tiredly toward the stairs.

"Cloud?" Tifa paused him.

He looked back.

"You might want to check on Denzel. Shelke mentioned he wanted to stay up until you got back. I don't know that he did, but…just in case."

This time Cloud _did _smile, and proceeded up the murderous stairs. Somewhere in the back of his mind he remembered the endless staircase he, Tifa, and Barret ran up when breaking into Shinra years ago. Suddenly he was glad there were only a few more steps to go.

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><p>Every chapter has its own shine, but this one was the intro to the romance. Next time…more on Cloud!<p>

-Dante


	2. Chapter 2

**For those who reviewed: **You have no idea how happy you all made me. I had a four hour test a few days ago and a _long _day planned afterward, but in between the two extensive activities I was able to get on to see how my new story was faring. Looking at it, I noticed I had reviews from you guys and it really made my whole day happier. Thanks for taking the time to say what you liked about it and letting me know you're excited to see more. But before I get too bubbly with happiness on you, I should mention that while this fic is easy for me to write, not all updates will be this quick. I've got an angst FFVII-Dissidia crossover I'm working on too so my attention is split between the two stories.

And I suppose I should fess up before you discover this for yourselves: I don't read romance ('cept for three OTPs I am _rabid_ about) and I don't write romance. Fluff is about as deep as it gets for me. So if Johnny seems like an unusual suitor, it's both due to his limited cannon to draw from and my own inexperience, but this'll still be fun!

Also this fanfiction isn't all about just Tifa and Johnny. No, that would be pretty dull. Instead, you get to read both that AND little bits and pieces from the FFVII crew's daily lives – as always, mostly centered around Seventh Heaven.

Well, I think I'm done with all the personal and relevantly important notes so, on to the story!

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><p>Cloud sighed as his mind arose from the blanketing fog of sleep. If he had a say in it, he would sleep till noon. After all, with the crazy trip to Junon and the late night, it was only to be expected. Which was why when he heard the drilling outside his <em>second story <em>window a wave of irritation flared within him.

Twisting himself around to stay in bed and still get maximum surveillance of the room, Cloud attempted to discover the source of the constant noise. From outside the second of his unnaturally large windows, a brown, muscled elbow poked in view along with a silver hand. Attached to the end of the artificial limb was a ridiculously small power driver. Without seeing further, Cloud knew Barret had managed to stand on their one ladder without breaking it and was bracing a screw with his other hand to get it in the right spot.

Of all the times Barret had to fix the leak on his side of the roof…Cloud wanted to go over and snap at him to be quiet, but that meant getting out of bed, and doing that meant exerting effort and energy that he didn't have. Not to mention, if Barret fixed it right this time, Cloud wouldn't have to later.

So ignoring the noise of the world waking up, Cloud pulled the covers over his head and turned onto his stomach. His eyelids closed heavily on weary mako eyes. There was semi-peace for all of three seconds. Then a knock at his bedroom door.

If the world knew what was best for it, the sun might just go back down to let him have a few more hours in darkness because the last thing _anyone _needed was a sleep-deprived, irritable super SOLDIER. It wasn't like he requested an empty coffin in the basement of an old, private mansion. All he wanted was some sleep without having to fear attacks from monsters or being called to save the world. Again. After killing Sephiroth three times were a few uninterrupted hours so much to ask for in return? Unfortunately, yes. But for once, mildly good fortune lingered long enough for a taciturn voice to call through the wood of his door.

"Cloud! Tifa wants to know if you want breakfast."

Denzel. Why was Denzel home this late? Judging from the sunlight screaming at Cloud through the windows it was at least nine. Shouldn't he and Marlene be at– Oh yeah. Saturday. No school. And everyone slept in a bit on Saturday. Except him, that is.

With a voice dry from recent disuse, Cloud called back, "No, tell her I'll get something later."

The door opened slowly. Denzel put a foot into the room first before his face appeared somewhere above the doorknob. Cloud turned his head toward the boy. He stood timidly just inside the room. Something was wrong. Denzel rarely got shy around Cloud anymore. The boy had gone from stranger to family a long time ago. Seeing him revert back to the defensive, hesitant boy Cloud had found near Aerith's church immediately alerted Cloud to listen up and listen well.

"Something wrong?" Cloud rose to his elbows, trying to ignore the blurriness edging his vision.

"I, um," Denzel looked at the ground. "I know you just got back, but Tifa says we have to do our homework before we can go out today."

A curse came muffled through the wall from outside where Barret had dropped one of his screws.

Cloud blinked slowly, not yet sure what Denzel's homework had to do with him.

Denzel elaborated. "Mrs. Juboski assigned us an essay about a place that has drastically changed in the last twenty years. I mean, since we're learning about world development right now, with all the construction going on. And I thought maybe you could tell me about some of the places you've been, or…" He spoke in a small voice, head facing the wood flooring, "…take me somewhere so I can see it for myself." He finally met Cloud's eyes and rushed to say, "But it's okay if you don't want to. You've been gone for a while, and you're probably really tired right now, and I don't know why I even asked." Shameful, he turned to go, but Cloud called him back without thinking.

With a wince, Cloud moved till he was sitting upright. "Denzel."

The boy turned, eyes on the floor.

"When is your paper due?"

The light brown eyes flickered upward in slight hopefulness. "Friday, next week."

"Did you already ask Tifa permission?"

Sneakered feet scooted the dirt collected from months of filthy boots crossing the threshold. "I haven't asked her yet. I thought I'd see if you would be okay with it first."

"Mm," Cloud nodded, regretting the action when it gave way to a piercing headache.

"Whether she says yes or not depends on how far we go," Denzel concluded.

Narrowing down the options, Cloud asked, "Where _would _you want to go?"

From outside another Barret let out a steady stream of cursing. Apparently the screw box had fallen when he had inexplicably caught the drill bit in the hole in the side of the building. For better or worse, both Cloud and Denzel were used to the foul words barely reaching their ears inside.

Denzel shrugged in answer to Cloud's question, aware that he should have been prepared to answer. "I dunno. Kalm would be too far to go in one day and get back, right?"

Cloud nodded.

"But maybe if we have time–"

At last drawing their full attention, Barret had yanked his hand so hard to get the little drill bit unstuck that it had come out. That was the good news. The bad part was the way the ladder wobbled in imbalance and began to fall backward with the rather large man clinging to the top rungs.

Cloud watched the event with impassible disinterest since his lingering drowsiness disabled his emotions while his body recharged. Denzel, however, froze between horrified shock and laughter. After all, a guy like Barret would only bruise from the fall, not be seriously hurt. But still, after living with his new family for close to a full three years, Denzel hadn't quite adjusted to the inhuman durability of his caretakers.

"Is he…?" Denzel moved as if to go down and help, but presently, the back door underneath them opened noisily and Tifa and Marlene's squawks of concern shot up into the air louder than any of Barret's previous mutterings.

"He's fine," Cloud assessed, getting up long enough to draw the blinds over the brilliant daylight valiantly rushing in. Denzel watched him sit on the edge of his bed, rubbing his face for a moment before resigning himself to the blanket snare.

Placing a hand on the doorknob, Denzel queried, "You going back to sleep?"

Cloud nodded as he got settled. "You decide where you want to go, and I'll talk to Tifa about it."

Denzel's face lit with a pure smile although with Cloud's back to him, he didn't see it. "Thanks, Cloud!"

Cloud smiled faintly as the door closed behind the eager boy. That childlike enthusiasm hadn't been lost in the horrors of his past. Cloud was glad that of all the strays he could have found loitering near Aerith's church, it had been Denzel.

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><p>Okay, didn't mean to go <em>all<em> Cloud on you there, but that's how it happened so…until next time!

-Dante


	3. Chapter 3

Let it never be said that heroes don't have fun while saving the world.

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><p>"You have to get Tifa and Barret and Cloud over here <em>right now<em>, do you hear me?!"

Denzel held the phone away from his ear. Unnecessarily, he hoped he hadn't offended Yuffie in doing so, not that she could see him, but her energy sometimes amplified her voice to unhearable levels.

"Hey, kid!" Yuffie shouted. "You still there?"

"Yes," Denzel answered.

"Well, are you gonna tell them or not? I mean, this is _urgent_. Is Tifa around? Maybe if I get her to come, the others would follow. Heh, who 'm I kidding? Cloud'd just say he's got too much work, and Barret would just be his grumpy self, as usual." She prattled on, forgetting her audience for a moment. With an uncharacteristic sigh, she added, "Some things never change." The nature of that comment had Denzel wondering if she sometimes missed fighting monsters alongside her friends, but before he could voice his thoughts, Yuffie seemed to remember him and gave a nervous laugh. "Heh, heh. So, yeah. Like I said: I dug up old Vinnie and caught Nanaki already, so you and I just need to get those other three out here to the Gold Saucer to have a vacation!"

"Uh, yeah…" Denzel thought about how that conversation would go. Wait. Yuffie wanted them over there at that moment – not that she ever wanted anything less than instant gratification – and that infernal school essay still needed doing… "Would it be okay if I came too?"

Yuffie paused a second as she realized he had spoken. "Oh, yeah. Sure!"

Denzel smiled. Ever since Cloud had marked the Gold Saucer on the giant map he kept in the children's bedroom, Denzel had desired to see the colorful sights for himself. Cloud never said there was much to it, but Tifa countered that he only spoke of it that way because a few events connecting back to Aerith occurred there and he still struggled to look beyond and forgive himself for those times. But there was improvement. The improvement was great enough that even Denzel saw it, and maybe Cloud was to the point that a trip to the Gold Saucer could be seen as something to look forward to and not just another emotional torture device.

Convincing the adults might not be so hard after all. Surely Barret wanted back near his hometown, and Tifa had expressed a subtle wish to see the rest of her old friends without having to worry about a world crisis. Cloud might be a problem, but two outvotes one, and with Denzel wanting to go, how could Cloud refuse?

"Yuffie, I'll–" Denzel began, but stopped at the sound of the storm door that served as their back door. It opened to let in Tifa and an exuberant Marlene.

"Denzel, guess what I…got." Her voice trailed to a quieter tone once she observed the phone grasped in his hand. "Oh, sorry."

"Who is it?" Tifa came in slower than the young girl.

Over the phone Yuffie yelled, "Hey, is that Tifa? Can I talk to her? HELLOOOO!"

Denel had few qualms about relinquishing the phone, although he wondered if saying something first might help Tifa decide to go.

"Hi, Yuffie," Tifa greeted in an affable tone. Denzel watched her speak for a moment.

"Look what I got," Marlene held up a lavender cotton dress with a ribbon around the waist to tie on one side of the hip. She handed it over for him to examine while she took off one of her shoes. "And Tifa traded my old ones at one of the bartering centers at the WRO so I could have _these_." The white shoes were practical – plain and sturdy with one strap over the top fastened with a button – but, they were new.

Denzel smiled politely, knowing how exciting it was for her. They rarely ever got new clothes. Tifa, Cloud, and Barret themselves only had one spare outfit each and no extra shoes. They all saved the money for school supplies for Denzel and Marlene, and, on Tifa's insistence, they also saved money for when Denzel hit his _real _growth spurt.

"Are you going to wear the dress?" Denzel asked.

Marlene's beaming smile died just a bit. "Tifa says I should wait until Daddy gets back tonight."

"Yeah, where _is _he today?"

"He said he was going to help install something at WRO headquarters. I don't remember what." She shook her head.

Denzel and Marlene quieted at the sound of Yuffie's voice echoing clearly through the speaker. "Aw, that bandy-legged old man claims he has to keep workin' on the _Shera_. But he'll come around." The barely contained giggle crackled through quite evidently.

"_Yuffie_," Tifa's scolding-mother voice emerged, and the tone was all it took for Yuffie to protest.

"It was just _most _of his wardrobe I stole. And his toolbox. And…well, he'll forgive me once he realizes how much he's needed a break."

Tifa shook her head and released an exasperated sigh. "Okay," Tifa nodded into the phone. "I'll have to discuss it with the others."

Denzel watched her talk.

"Uh-huh. I'll call you tonight." A light laugh. "And did you really cast sleep on Vincent and drag him across the continent?"

Yuffie's voice came through enough Denzel could hear. "Well, _yeah_. How else was I supposed to get him here? And you guys better hurry up before he escapes!"

Tifa chuckled and closed the conversation with a cheerful "talk to you later".

Denzel looked at her anxiously, holding his breath unconsciously.

"Is everything alright?" Tifa asked him.

"Yeah," Denzel stammered. "I just– are we going to go?"

"Go where?" Marlene questioned, putting her shoe back on.

Tifa smiled. "Yuffie has invited us for a few days at the Gold Saucer. She's paying – although I'd hate to ask how she got the gil."

Marlene's eyes widened, but Denzel already knew all this so he went on and repeated, "So can we go?"

Tifa moved into the bar's kitchen and began tying on an apron. "I have to talk to Cloud and Barret about it first, then we'll see."

Denzel mentally sighed and turned to go, but Tifa called him back.

Tifa opened the fridge and grabbed ingredients for lunch. "Is Cloud up yet?"

Marlene giggled as Denzel shook his head.

With a sigh, Tifa giggled as well. "Some days I fear he's picked up Vincent's sleeping habits. Well, Marlene would you wake him up and tell him I need to talk to him?" Marlene retrieved her dress from Denzel, who had forgotten he was holding it. "Oh, and ask him if he's hungry yet."

Marlene nodded emphatically and marched upstairs.

* * *

><p>"That's on the western continent, Tifa," Cloud's reasonably voice cut in.<p>

"I know, but you do deliveries there all the time. And besides, Yuffie has a point. We could all use a break from work."

"Ya know it's close to home for me," Barret protested. "I ain't through helpin' 'em rebuild yet."

It was later that day when Tifa finally got Barret and Cloud in the same room for more than five minutes so she could discuss plans with them. Denzel and Marlene were _supposed _to be cleaning their room, but the prospect of potentially traveling to the world's greatest vacation center excited them too much. So both determined that overhearing plans for the next few days took priority over having a tidy bedroom, and, more importantly, obeying their guardians.

Barret went on. "And wha' about Shelke. You wanna leave her here by herself to take care o' the bar?"

"Of course not, Barret!"

"Will she even want to go?" Cloud asked.

It was silent for a moment. Tifa admitted, "Probably not. She's thrown herself into helping at the WRO every day. I don't know that'd she'll want to give up the extra time that she could be looking for Shalua either."

"Good point."

"But we might as well invite her." Tifa concluded.

Barret quickly reminded, "Tha's if we're going at all."

"Tifa," Cloud said quietly. "Denzel has something he'd like to ask you."

Denzel's heart pounded, and he backed up from where he'd been leaning against the door.

"Denzel?" Cloud called him. Sometimes having a super sensing, powerful "ex-SOLDIER" as a guardian was great. It made it that much easier to scare off potential bullies whenever Denzel went out in Edge alone or to school. But there were definitely severe drawbacks. Like being caught listening when you were supposed to be doing chores.

Drawing a deep breath, Denzel pushed the door open, Marlene following. The wood planks beneath his feet gained his full attention as slight shame for being caught rose in his stomach. Tifa exclaimed in minute disapproval at their actions, but the reprimand went no further.

"Why don't you ask her now?" Cloud inclined his head to Tifa, and although Denzel missed the gesture, he nodded, gathered his courage, and thrust himself into the task of convincing Tifa that he _needed _to go to the Gold Saucer.

"Tifa, I…" He shuffled forward a bit and brushed the hair from his eyes. Cloud said he would help. That meant he only needed to explain the assignment and Cloud would do the convincing. That thought helped, and he started again, squaring his gaze into Tifa's luscious brown eyes. "Mrs. Juboski wants all the kids to write a paper about a place that has drastically changed in the last twenty years. And I was just thinking that since Yuffie's got everyone going to the Gold Saucer that maybe I could come too and write my essay on _that_." His eyes flicked to Cloud for reassurance, who in turn nodded back imperceptibly.

"Mrs. Juboski?" Barret questioned.

Tifa nodded at him. "The volunteer school teacher working with the kids in Edge." Speaking to Denzel, she motioned for him to come closer. "In all fairness, Denzel, I don't think Dio has changed _anything _in the Gold Saucer over the last twenty years.

Cloud's turn. "But North Corel is nearby."

Tifa understood then. "And what better place to examine world development then there? Okay, I see your point."

Shelke dragged herself through the door at this moment, drained and sleepy. Tifa stopped her halfway through the room and explained the issue. Shelke responded as Tifa predicted.

"No, I think I'll stay here and help Reeve with the WRO," she said simply.

"Can I make you something to eat?" Tifa offered. "These two endless pits," she tipped her head to Barret and Cloud, "ate everything from lunch, but I'd be happy to–"

Shelke shook her head. "Thanks, but I think I'm going to catch up on some sleep from last night."

"Okay."

They watched her disappear around the corner and up the stairs.

Denzel waited for a moment for the conversation to naturally resume, but when it didn't, he started, "So…"

Tifa sighed in defeat. "I guess we have no choice. You need to do your homework, and we really could all use a break."

"Yay!" cheered Denzel and Marlene.

"That don't mean I hafta go," Barret countered.

"But, Daddy," Marlene moved strategically next to his knee and stood, gathering all her child-like powers of persuasion and setting them loose on her father. "I want to see your hometown. I want to know what it looks like where _you _grew up."

"And you don't have to go to the Gold Saucer if you don't want to," Tifa added.

Cloud offered a warning though. "But if Yuffie finds out you're nearby…"

Marlene's sweet, melting gaze was unavoidable and Barret caved instantly upon meeting her pleading eyes. "A'ight, but you hafta finish up your room before we talk about it any more."

Marlene beamed. Then, throwing her arms around Barret's muscular middle, she exclaimed, "Thank you, daddy!" He hugged her back briefly before she pulled away to race Denzel up the stairs to their room.

Tifa, Cloud, and Barret remained in the room, all of them feeling pleased for making the day brighter for the children, but that emotion rapidly passed as the overwhelming planning for the next week grew as a dark cloud over all of them. The most responsible person there was Tifa, but all needed to contribute to the decision making. Unfortunately, that's where Cloud and Barret clashed the most. So with great effort, Tifa making up for Cloud's apparent "communication incompetence" and placating Barret's indecisive attitude, they drew a rough plan of the presumed vacation. By the end of it, all of them wished not only that they were not going to go through with it, but that they weren't adults faced with such menial yet significant decisions.

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><p>Tifa left out the back door, entering into the wide alleyway between Seventh Heaven and the building next door. Inhaling deep, she held the cool air in her lungs till they burned for fresh oxygen. She finally released her breath in a sagging sigh.<p>

Barret always got a titch riled when forced to make plans. The real problem lay with the fact that he still got stern with Cloud as he did since first meeting him. Maybe it was Cloud's calm way of remaining a passive suggestor. If that was it, even Tifa had to agree. Cloud needed to more frequently take _action, _even if that only meant _talking _more.

"Hello?" A voice sprung into the air from behind her.

She nearly jumped since she thought the alley was empty. Turning, a very familiar figure grinned at her, a bit of concern dampening the smile.

"Johnny," she smiled in return.

He stepped forward, hands digging deep into his jacket pockets as a bit of shyness washed over him. "Yeah, that's me." Just by watching his features contort, Tifa knew he felt stupid for responding like that. She wasn't sure if she was glad to see him or a bit peeved. The only real reason for the latter emotion was her need for space to cool down, but how would he know that?

He caught her staring. Shyness faded as he asked sincerely, "Are you okay?"

She tipped her head, feigning ignorance.

"You look a bit stressed out," he elaborated.

Truthfully, Tifa was not one to lie. That didn't mean she had to say anything. "I'm alright."

He raised a single eyebrow in skepticism.

"Really, I'm fine. It's just those two." She sighed, memories of Barret's initial abrasiveness toward Cloud surfacing in her mind again. "They don't normally agree on things, and sometimes…"

"Things get out of hand?" Johnny suggested.

She nodded, "Yeah." Her hands found her pockets and stowed away there. "But I'm getting used to it."

She gave a forced, happy smile, but Johnny refuted, "Just because you're getting used to it, doesn't mean it's a good thing." He wanted to smack his head against the cinderblock wall after those words. The object was to _comfort _her, not–

"You know," Tifa nodded, looking him squarely in the eyes, "You're right."

She could almost hear his thoughts: _Score! Now to get the next sentence out without fumbling._ Even so, she was surprised by his offer. "If you need a moment away from them, I'd be happy to you with walk– I-I mean, walk with you." He reddened at her giggle, but the offer did not come without reward. She smiled sincerely and nodded acceptance. In his own clumsy way, Johnny had helped Tifa release some of the frustration causing her grief moments earlier.

Johnny strode confidently forward, leading the way though she walked beside him. Not looking at him, she missed the final thoughts cross his expression…

… … … …

Things _could_ work out alright even when he was nervous. Now Johnny only hoped Tifa didn't ask him exactly _why _he had been walking outside the back door to her bar.

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><p>Sorry if anyone is looking for updates for "Warrior in Heart". Life's been crazy so I just find this lighthearted fic easier to write right now. Anyway, if you liked something specific in here, I'd love to know.<p>

-Dante


	4. Chapter 4

Again, if I forgot a disclaimer: I don't own anything but my own writing skills and the idea for this story.

Cloud's misery at the start of this chapter was inspired by my own when I started writing this chapter.

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><p>The "ex-SOLDIER" who had survived military training, four years in a lab, mako poisoning <em>twice<em>, impalement, being shot, Geostigma, and his own burdened conscience now sat uncomfortably in the driver's seat of a rented truck with his surrogate family crowded all around him. The four passengers shifted for more elbow room and cried out indignantly when someone invaded their personal bubble. The workman Cloud had borrowed the truck from had been nice enough to do it for a favor – deliver a few handheld tools to some repairman in Junon – but even with the additional three seats behind the driver's area, there remained little room for comfort. As a testament to this, Tifa, in the backseat with the children, struggled to force down the window to release the smothering desert air. In the front passenger side Barret had already broken the handle off the manual window opener. The atmosphere itself held tension and tiredness. If only that was the worst part.

"Hic!" Cloud clamped his jaw shut too late. Ten minutes so far, and the hiccups taunted him still. But of course the torture refused to stop there. The hiccups got his uneasy stomach jumping, and while in recent years he discovered that driving helped ease his motion-sickness, even he, a super-powered human, was not immune to the dastardly effects of hiccups.

Cloud pressed his lips in a firm line, but holding in the sound made it worse for his stomach. All the way up his esophagus he felt the burning sensation of a bad thing gone on too long.

He needed to stop.

"Stop it!" Denzel shouted, tugging on his short shirt sleeves and crossing his arms defensively.

"I'm not doing anything!" Marlene cried in protest from her place between Denzel and a very exasperated, very tired Tifa.

"Denzel…" Tifa began with a sigh.

Denzel raised his voice before she could figure out something to say. "She keeps kicking my leg."

"No, I don't," Marlene crossed her own arms in mock imitation of Denzel's juvenile attitude.

"_Marlene_," Barret stepped in sternly.

"I said I'm not!" she pouted, upset that her dad doubted her integrity. "The road's just so bumpy my leg swings and hits him. I don't _mean _it." In demonstration, the truck bounced through a deep pothole in the road and the seven year old's small leg flailed out involuntarily before falling back against the seat, nicking Denzel's jeans in the process.

"Hey!"

"I said I didn't mean it," Marlene whined.

Denzel glared out the window, the blank scenery staring back at him just as defiantly. Tifa sighed tiredly. "Cloud, maybe we should stop." Yes, she liked that idea. "Let's take a break. Maybe figure out how long we have till Junon." She dreaded the thought of another three hours in the backseat with two squabbling kids, but what choice was there?

Without a word Cloud hastily swerved off the worn path that served as the new unofficial highway between Edge and Junon. His sudden obedience startled all of them. As soon as the engine puttered to a stop, Cloud ripped the keys from the ignition and escaped the vehicle. His passengers exited much slower, not sure what to make of Cloud's reaction to Tifa's request. Then they heard it.

Still hiccupping, Cloud roughly vomited to the side of the road, his face a pale green and a hand clutching the front of his shirt as he knelt on the gravelly ground. Hearing the pain in Cloud's heaves, they realized it was one of the most torturous experiences anyone might have. But once his stomach finished turning inside out, there appeared one small silver lining: his hiccups were finally gone.

"You gun' be good?" Barret asked when Cloud stayed kneeling over the expelled contents of his stomach.

Cloud slowly nodded. He shifted so his back faced them, a subtle sign that he was okay but wanted to be left alone. With the putrid smell rising on that side of the truck, everyone complied without complaint and moved to the other side.

On cue, as Cloud sat shuddering over the puddle of vomit, his PHS trilled. Predictably, he didn't answer. There was a brief lull of silence before Tifa's PHS rang aloud in turn. In contrast to Cloud, she answered, although it was a miracle she had service clear out in the country.

"Hello?" Tifa said.

"Tifa, why isn't Cloud answering his phone? We ca…" Yuffie's voice crackled in static for a moment. When it returned, she sounded small and far off. "…all depressed and stuff again. Okay?"

"Okay," Tifa dared to agree, not sure what she had committed herself to.

Barret, Denzel, and Marlene took full advantage of their leisure time out of the confines of the truck and roamed the area. Tifa stayed stationary in her spot of limited cell service.

"Uh-huh," Tifa nodded into the phone. "We're on our way right now." A pause. "I think we're still a couple hours from Junon harbor, but if we're lucky, we can catch an outgoing ship before the end of tonight." They, meaning Yuffie, talked a bit longer before a roar interrupted the semi-quiet atmosphere.

Tifa squinted forward through the blazing sunlight. "Barret, what is it?" She didn't have to ask. Only a few years ago, the entire group of AVALANCHE learned practically all there was to know about monsters. A few of them got so good that they could identify a monster just by hearing it _breathe_. The knowledge came with their lifestyle. So when Barret shouted out that they had a Zemzelett approaching, Tifa was already off the phone and rushing forward, ready to attack.

As the lumbering white and green mass filled her vision, she hesitated, sizing up the monster. Its wings unfolded till they stretched wide, like waiting for a hug. Red eyes pinned her to the ground, but she gazed back evenly. Her leg muscles tensed, ready to spring at the target.

"Tifa!" Barret barreled past her. "You look after the kids. Me an' Cloud got this!"

A frown dipped dangerously on Tifa's rosy lips. From where he had been sick, Cloud rushed the monster, looking better – if only slightly – and eager to release some of his own pent up energy. Tifa watched them for a moment and then let herself remember that Denzel and Marlene _were _weaponless after all. Stalking back to the truck, she gathered the two minors near her. Tifa couldn't help muttering derisively about the unfairness of it, though, "…just like you left me behind when you bombed Sector 1 reactor…"

Just as the three came up on the truck, a Nerosuferoth scampered past, aiming for Barret's broad back. Tifa smiled deviously. "Denzel, Marlene, stay by the truck," she instructed. Giving them both a little push, she bounded forward to pick off the stray Nerosuferoth.

Only, she must have forgotten. Nerosuferoths preferred to attack in pairs.

… … … …

Marlene and Denzel stared wide eyed at the lizard-like monster creeping toward them. From beak to tail, it easily equaled Denzel in length.

The monster paused only a moment before leaping.

Marlene half-screamed as Denzel pushed her aside. The two of them sprawled on the ground, gravel sized rocks digging into their skin. The Nerosuferoth narrowly avoided banging its skull into the side of the truck.

"Denzel?" Marlene yelped.

"Get in the truck!" Denzel scrambled to his feet and pulled Marlene with him.

The monster rolled in front of their path. The brief stalemate had Denzel's mind zigzagging around any real solutions, but the size of the monster gave him a desperate, plausible idea.

Shoving Marlene to his left, Denzel jumped to his right and ran. "Under the truck! Marlene, it won't fit under the truck!" He made a wide arc around the tailgate, monster jaws snapping at his shirt, while Marlene obediently scooted on her belly till she lay safely out of reach.

Closing the circle he had made, Denzel took hold of the side of the truck and leaped into the truck-bed. Madly, he grabbed for the box of tools they were planning to deliver. Hot breath warmed his neck, and teeth clamped on the back of his t-shirt.

"Ah!" Denzel released a shout of fear and anger, swinging around a wrench half the length of his forearm and burying the tool into the Nerosuferoth's left eye.

Immediately, the monster gave a wheezy scream, releasing Denzel. Denzel watched it stagger around, the wrench still lodged in its eye. After a minute of writhing on the ground it skittered off, still breathing out short screams of agony. As much as Denzel wanted to be proud for protecting Marlene and saving his own life without help, pity and shame crept into his heart. He got the feeling he wouldn't forget the sound of those cries for a long time.

"Are you two okay?" Tifa rushed for Denzel. So, the "responsible" adults finally noticed them now that the danger was gone. Denzel looked to where they had been fighting. Nope, they only noticed when their own battles were finished.

Barret surged forward. "Where's Marlene?"

"Under here, Daddy," Marlene squirmed from under the truck and Barret hugged her close. Everyone could see the guilt in his expression. He should have looked after her better. Without looking closely, one could see that the same thought was running through both Tifa's and Cloud's minds.

"You okay?" Cloud asked Denzel who still hadn't moved from inside the truck-bed.

"…Yeah," Denzel struggled to brush off the sounds of the monster.

"What happened?"

Denzel looked into Cloud's glowing eyes. Cloud must have killed so many monsters, so many _people_. How did he live with so much blood on his hands? How could he forget those cries of pain? Denzel frowned as his mind answered his questions. Cloud _didn't _forget. That's why he had so many struggles – because he couldn't forget. So why did Cloud keep fighting? Again, Denzel's mind quickly answered that. Cloud fought to protect. That's why he would win any battle: because he never fought without a reason, and the reason was always because he had something to protect.

And that's what Denzel had done.

Denzel smiled weakly and answered triumphantly, "I defeated a monster." He could live with it. He wanted to be brave like Cloud and strong like Cloud after all. If Cloud could protect those he loved and still live with the consequences, so could he, even if the cries still echoed in his mind.

Denzel's tale carried the group into the truck where they got settled and continued journeying toward Junon. Marlene interjected at parts in Denzel's far-from-modest story and despite the three adults' shame at not being mindful of their young charges, they chuckled at the extravagant account.

The verbal applause raised Denzel's self-confidence till he felt big enough to conquer those Nibel Dragons Cloud had once described. But nothing made Denzel's spirits soar like seeing Cloud's head nod in approval and hearing the words, "I suppose we don't have to worry about you in a fight."

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><p>Darkness flushed out most of the natural daylight by the time the little group made it to Junon. Parking the truck outside the city limits, Cloud led the way into the main village hub where a crew of workers hustled to finish putting up a new sign on the weapon shop. Barret took Marlene with him to check on when the next boat would cast off from Junon. That left Tifa, Denzel, and Cloud to wander the streets till someone pointed them in the direction of wherever their repairman of interest was. They still had a toolbox to deliver.<p>

It might have been chance – more likely it was her apparent inability to _not _be dying when Cloud was present – but a certain young girl caught sight of the chocobo-haired man and, in her surprise and excitement, inhaled sharply and choked on the grape she had been eating. Her strained breath and harsh coughs alerted Cloud to her presence, and he turned back to see her seated in front of her house.

"Cough harder," he commanded as he quickly marched over.

She shook her head. Oh, _why _did she always look like such a fool when he was around? The first time they met, she had been rude to him and his friends and he _still _performed CPR to revive her. And then every other time after that, she was always having a bad hair day or something else equally embarrassing. How could a guy like him ever really fall for a girl like her…?

Cloud's arms came around her, and he thrust his fists into her stomach, the grape popping out and rolling onto the grass. If she wasn't gasping and trying so hard to wipe the spit away from her mouth maybe she would have tried harder to make his arms linger around her waist.

As it was, Cloud backed off quickly. It may have been offensive to some, but she knew his shy, taciturn ways…

"Glad to see you're as normal as ever, Priscilla." Tifa stood in front of her, a gentle smile gracing her face.

Priscilla blushed faintly and rubbed her throat a bit. It was so good to see them. Cloud and Tifa and…wait, who was the kid? Priscilla's eyes narrowed on Denzel who stood awkwardly under her scrutiny. Then her eyes shifted between Tifa and him before adding Cloud to the equation. Oh _no_.

"So…" Priscilla didn't know how to put it delicately. "You two got married?" She analyzed their reactions. Denzel's eyes widened and the deep color in his cheeks matched Tifa's expression. Cloud, on the other hand, looked much like he had been slapped…and then paralyzed.

Huh. Interesting.

"Ahem," still blushing madly, Tifa placed a hand on Denzel's shoulder. "This is Denzel. Cloud and I are his guardians." Cloud nodded a bit uncomfortably. Priscilla reveled in his expression.

"Ah," she exclaimed in understanding. "Well, _Denzel_, my name's Priscilla." She nodded to him. "I already know these two." Giving Tifa a slightly snarky look, Priscilla turned a sweet smile on Cloud whose cheeks flared up in delayed embarrassment. "What you all up to?"

Denzel answered her confidently, although the question was not addressed to him. He had just picked up on Priscilla's obvious looks toward Cloud. "We're going to the west continent. We're just here because we need a boat."

"Humph," Priscilla crossed her arms, scowling at Denzel's boldly firm tone. "Well, we have a boat docked in Costa del Sol already and the next one doesn't leave till morning."

Tifa sighed despairingly. "So much for _that_." She glanced at Cloud. He had moved away from Priscilla at each of her glances. In her own mind, Priscilla thought the looks she conveyed were foxy – enticing even. To Cloud, her expression consisted of a mixture between jealousy and the dopey gaze of a love-sick teenager. Tifa directed her next comment at Cloud. "Should we try for an inn then?"

"Oh, no, no, no," Priscilla interrupted. "You guys stay here for the night. Mom and Dad won't mind if they know you," she gazed at Cloud, "saved my life again."

"Thank you," Cloud said. "But we have Barret and his daughter, Marlene, with us too."

"We wouldn't want to impose," Tifa added.

Priscilla shook her head emphatically. "What do you mean 'impose'? I'm not gonna let you guys sleep out in the cold or get into debt at the inn. Where's your stuff? I'll help you carry it in the house." She jumped up and tried to take the toolbox from Cloud's hands.

"This is for someone else," Cloud gently tugged it out of her grabbing reach.

Her eyebrows creased in confusion.

"Cloud runs a delivery business," Denzel explained importantly.

Cloud nodded. "Do you know of a Mr. Housling?"

Priscilla copied his motion slowly. "Yeah, he's the new repairman at the end of town. Just follow the main road till you come to the old school house. He's using it as his shop."

"Thank you." Cloud said. To Tifa he suggested, "We should probably find the others and let them know where we're staying." Looking down at Denzel, he silently ordered, "Let's go."

Denzel followed his idol silently, subdued eagerness making his countenance light up as opposed to his curt treatment of Priscilla.

* * *

><p>At Mr. Housling's modest abode, Cloud introduced himself and handed over the disarranged toolbox. The man accepted it gratefully but squinted at the two of them when they lingered.<p>

"Denzel," Cloud prompted.

Denzel stepped forward, head hanging. "I'm sorry, sir, but I lost one of your wrenches. We took a break somewhere in the country and some monsters attacked us. I hit one of them in the eye with your wrench and it kind of stuck there. And then the monster ran off…I'm really sorry."

Denzel stepped back in line with Cloud. It was silent for a moment before Mr. Housling laughed in amusement. "You stuck it in the eye with my wrench," he chuckled. "Alright. Because it was for a good cause, I'll forgive you."

Surprised, Denzel looked up slightly. "Th-thank you, sir."

The man gazed evenly at Cloud, a smile still on his face. "You're a good father to this boy."

Cloud fought the instinct to stiffen at hearing what the statement implied and merely inclined his head in thanks. As he and Denzel walked back to the front of town, Cloud reflected on the image he and Tifa made. They really should have been used to it. In Edge their situation was so common that people assumed that the kids living with you _weren't _yours. And yet, people tended to pin him and Tifa together. Cloud was willing to be called a guardian for Denzel's sake – anything to make the kid feel like he had a family – but the implication that he and Tifa had a relationship of _any _kind other than friends…? He wasn't sure he could handle that yet.

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><p>Hiccups are nasty if allowed to persist too long. The best remedy I've found is this: inhale as much as you can. Hold your breath for ten seconds. After ten seconds, inhale a bit further WITHOUT EXHALING FIRST. Hold this for five seconds. Let it out slow and try to breathe normally. If done right, it works every time. If it doesn't work, you're doing something wrong. ;) Good luck!<p>

-Dante


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: **I don't own FFVII. Why disclaim it again? I feel like it, and I have nothing really to say before we get started so…

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><p>Tifa woke when darkness still begged her to close her eyelids and sleep again. At first, she didn't know what had waken her up, but a few moments passed and the sound returned.<p>

"…nuh-no…lea-ve…me…duh…don't…" A sharp breath accompanied the pleas.

Tifa sat up in her borrowed bed, alarmed and throwing her gaze around the room wildly, wondering who she needed to save from nightmares tonight. Night terrors frequented Denzel's sleep. He still shivered at the horrors of his past and often cried out in the night when a dream twisted everything good into an endless nightmare. Marlene too suffered the occasional dark dream. Normally they haunted her after a particularly trying day when Barret was away. Between the two children, Tifa had many days she ended up sleeping all the way through after a late night of bar-tending and then acting as a mother to the children in the night. Now, with someone crying out in desperation, Tifa's motherly instincts screamed for her to do something.

But even before she located the source of the sound, she somehow knew.

"Oh, Cloud…" she breathed. He writhed on the frail cot. His breath passed in short hyperventilating spurts as though he were running from something…or trying not to cry.

Honestly, Tifa knew about his nightmares. Cloud hid it very well from the others, but she knew he struggled. Cloud's bouts of depression had decreased in frequency and intensity, but the last ten – eleven? – years of his life could not be simply blinked away. Cloud had made improvements. He had even so much as smiled genuinely at her a few weeks ago without prompting. She had been too overjoyed to ask for a reason behind his happiness and too afraid to shake that gentle, tentative, but sincere smile.

But as Tifa watched him now, she froze. She knew he came down hard on himself for letting his weaknesses show, so she hesitated on taking action.

"No…I…"

"Cloud," she began at a whisper.

"No!" Cloud's eyes snapped open suddenly, revealing a panicked look fixed on the ceiling. His breathing cut off with a shuddering exhale. He lay still for a moment as his mind seemed to process where he was and the terror dissolved in relief.

Cloud sat up slowly, dragging his legs from under the heavy blanket covering him and placing his feet on the cold hardwood floor. Tifa mimicked him cautiously so that across the other sleeping forms, they faced one another. He didn't react to her motion – hardly seemed to notice her at all. That worried her a bit.

"You okay?" she whispered across the darkness separating them. Cloud just breathed for a moment, the flecks of mako in his eyes highlighting his stare with a faint green glow. Slowly he brought his hands to his face and sighed heavily. A tremor shivered through his body. He inhaled a half-sobbed breath before breathing out slowly, if a bit shakily.

"Cloud?" Tifa motioned as if to get up and go to him, but, perceiving her motion, he shook his head in refusal of her comfort. With great effort, he dragged his palms down his face, letting his fingertips cup around his nose and mouth momentarily while he steadied his breathing. He was acutely aware of Tifa's concerned gaze analyzing his tiniest movements.

After a second's pause, Cloud pulled himself from the squeaky cot and muttered, "I just need a minute," as he passed the end of her bed. The cool sea breeze charged in as Cloud cracked open the front door and slipped out. Tifa contemplated going after him, but Cloud was not the same broken person he had been years ago. Certainly he still struggled, but his problems no longer defined him. He was strong enough to fight his battles now; he just needed a minute sometimes to remind himself of that.

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><p>The next night came swiftly, too fast for Cloud's liking and not soon enough for everyone else. The boat from Junon to Costa del Sol allowed them to keep the borrowed truck to travel in, and they had driven several hours on the west continent now. The little group camped at the base of the mountain pass to North Corel. Monsters appeared at their own risk, and though not many appeared Marlene grew nervous due to the close-call events of yesterday.<p>

Barret took matters into his own hands, and, instead of comforting his daughter, he challenged, "You're a Wallace, righ'?"

Marlene looked at her fearsome father in the campfire light. She meekly nodded.

"Then you got enough bravery to outlast the whole lot 'o monsters out there."

She gave a timorous, minute smile, not comforted in the least. Barret observed and motioned her to come closer. "C'mere."

She obeyed, but as soon as she was within her father's reach, he scooped her up and began to tickle her mercilessly. Surprised, Marlene giggled at first, squealing with childlike joy, but soon her laughs made her stomach bounce and her sides ached. The fear had dissipated, and she no longer felt afraid. Barret paused a moment in his tickle-attack to grin at Denzel who had been laughing at Marlene's "misfortune". Barret gave a loud "Ha!" as Tifa's hands snuck behind Denzel and caught him off guard. Now Barret and Marlene roared at Denzel trying ineffectively to squirm away from Tifa as his involuntary laughter too pierced the air.

The sounds died down after a bit, but they all grinned at each other across the fireplace. Inevitably, all eyes wandered to the only member of their party who had not joined in the festivities. Cloud had cracked a small smile twice during the event, but shadows of last night's nightmare lingered in his eyes. Tifa saw Cloud's apprehension about going to sleep tonight and her mind began devising a way to jolt him out of his gloominess.

"He's brooding again," Tifa whispered to Marlene. Winking at Denzel, she made sure to speak loud enough Cloud could hear her, "You know, I seem to recall something his mother told me once about him. What was it…?" She trailed off mischievously. "Oh, that's right!" She grinned. "Cloud's actually very ticklish if you find the right spot under his arms."

Cloud stiffened slightly as Tifa smirked self-satisfactorily. Denzel and Marlene only glanced at each other before simultaneously pouncing on the defenseless blond.

At first, Cloud resisted, not sure how to react to their giggles and wriggling hands. That is, he resisted till Marlene's small fingers wormed under his muscled arms. Then it was all over.

It began small, a slight snort since Cloud struggled to hold in the sound. Then he nearly bit his tongue trying to keep from laughing, but tears crept out of his eyes from the effort. At last, the first true row of unreserved laughter escaped his throat – a sound that, once triggered, can never be contained. Cloud laughed, truly laughed. The children pried their fingers under his arms and danced over his sides till the aching laughter forced him to lie on the ground, exhausted. Marlene and Denzel only stopped tickling when Tifa called them off to get into their makeshift sleeping bags.

In the dying light of the fire, Tifa smiled at Cloud panting on the ground. He was tired in a way he hadn't been in a long time. Tired from the joy of laughing, but not at all upset about it. Tifa saw him smile to himself as he stared at the sky. After a few minutes, the kids settling under their blankets behind her, Tifa tossed a blanket to Cloud and commanded, "Alright. Time for bed."

Cloud closed his eyes momentarily, the half folded fleece resting on his chest where it had landed. Grabbing the blanket, Cloud moved closer to the fire and settled on the ground near it, the traces of his smile still lingering on his lips.

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><p>Short, but undeniably fun to write. Next time…Yuffie! Yeah, actually I've never really written her before, but I've been doing okay with these guys, right? I can write her, no problem. And Johnny. I haven't forgotten he exists. ;)<p>

Thanks for reading!

-Dante


	6. Chapter 6

**To everyone that has reviewed, favorited, or followed: **You guys are the best. I really mean it. Your reviews especially make me smile and are extremely helpful in giving me needed feedback for what I'm doing right with this story. So again: thanks, everyone!

* * *

><p>Vincent shadowed the path to the Ghost Square. Three steps and a slide. He didn't particularly fancy waiting for Yuffie to come out of the Battle Square. All afternoon she had signed up for fight after fight, gathering battle points to trade for a load of materia. The Gold Saucer remained one of the few places left on the planet selling it, and Yuffie intended to get as much as possible before returning to Wutai.<p>

Yuffie's cause was noble, yes, but that did not mean Vincent had to stay and listen to her crow about her victories. Nanaki had promised to keep an eye on her, after all, so no worries.

Since Tifa called the previous night, Yuffie had acted slightly off. Cid suspected she was pouting about having to wait, but Vincent suspected the reason went deeper. Perhaps so deep, Yuffie herself could not name it.

Yuffie missed them.

Vincent didn't guess at this; he knew.

With constantly running away from home and fighting with her dad, their little band of vigilantes became her family. That's why she needed everyone together again. The White Rose of Wutai had experienced much in her lifetime, but the highlight easily rested around her time spent with her true friends – the ones she could banter with and play jokes on and still know they wouldn't string her up on a tree…most likely.

Now Yuffie had to patiently wait till the rest of their friends arrived. When all her skills, talents, and various abilities were laid out, patience was not in her deck of cards. She wanted them here, _now_. Vincent supposed she was uncomfortable sitting around with the homesick, loneliness that had taken hold of her. So while she fought for glory, honor, and materia, the fighting simply aided her in coping with these unwelcome emotions.

He motioned to enter the tube leading to the Ghost Square, but a voice cried out, halting him.

"Yo! You jus' gonna leave us here without sayin' hello?"

He turned. "Barret."

Barret grinned, and behind his massive bulk, two young eyes filled with wonder poked into view.

"This place is…" Denzel turned in a circle for a panoramic look at the bright yellow room. "…_wow_."

Trailing behind, Tifa and Cloud followed with bags filled with their clothes and necessities.

"Tifa." Vincent acknowledged. "Cloud."

Cloud only blinked in awareness that Vincent stood before them, but Tifa beamed. "Hello, Vincent. How have you been?"

"Busy," he replied.

Barret grunted rhetorically, "Ain't we all?"

"We are staying in the Ghost Square," Vincent informed, turning away from the entrance to fully face them. "Yuffie became anxious about waiting so she has employed herself in the Battle Square for the past six hours."

"Six hours?!" Tifa exclaimed. "Come on, guys," she pushed the stunned children forward, urging Barret to lead them along. "Let's get our stuff put away and get Yuffie out of there."

Vincent let them go first, watching the children gaze down the dark hole apprehensively at first before grinning at each other in a dare and hopping in with enthusiastic joy. Barret squeezed in next followed by Tifa. As Cloud's blond hair disappeared, Vincent felt the smallest of emotions stir in his heart. He allowed a brief smile before following them down.

Yes, it was good having them back.

* * *

><p>"A-and we have to show them the Speed Square too, can't miss that!" Yuffie practically <em>floated <em>around the rented room, and it would have been endearing if her enthusiasm didn't have her knocking their possessions off the bed as she gestured wildly with her arms.

"Y–" Tifa tried to interrupt, but she just couldn't make herself stop the overwhelming joy pouring from Yuffie's countenance. Shaking her head, Tifa just sighed with a half-smile and snatched up the fallen stack of Marlene's clothes from the floor.

"And do you think it would be alright if I took them to the Battle Square too?"

Tifa stopped. "Um…" Marlene and Denzel were no strangers to monsters and death, but that didn't mean she wanted them watching it for _enjoyment_. "I don't think Barret would approve…" she began slowly, using Barret's protective tendencies as an excuse for her own feelings.

"Aw, I could convince him," Yuffie collapsed backward on the bed, toppling the stack of Marlene's shirts once more. She stayed silent for a minute – never a good sign. As Tifa began refolding and putting away the clothes in the drawers, Yuffie suddenly gasped, her face illuminated with insight. She reveled in her thoughts for a second before suggesting, "He, he! It wouldn't matter if Barret never found out…"

Tifa frowned in disapproval, although she still had to force the frown. Yuffie may have grown older, but her trickster tendencies had stuck with her. "Why don't you take the kids around the Wonder Square for now and find out if there is a play showing at the Event Square tonight. It's already evening, and I don't want anyone cranky tomorrow. There's plenty of time for them to explore during the rest of the week."

Yuffie grinned and rushed for the door so she could locate the kids in one of the guys' rooms. At the door, however, she paused. In a revelatory tone, she voiced her sudden realization. "You guys are staying the whole week?"

Tifa nodded with a small smile. "We should really be back by Friday since Denzel has a paper due in class, but Mrs. Juboski allowed an extended deadline in return for a higher quality paper. So, yes. We can stay the whole week."

Yuffie giggled once, then was gone.

* * *

><p>"…she's got us all on our toes here," Cid complained from a chair. He watched Barret, Cloud, and Denzel stowing away their clothes in the dresser drawers. Barret more or less shoved them in. Cloud at least made an <em>effort<em> to keep his spare outfit folded; Denzel, emulating his hero, followed Cloud's example…until getting frustrated with the way they kept crumpling of their own will and he merely shoving them in with an irritated _so there! _attitude. Marlene observed with eyes open only to the spooky details of the room.

"Anyhow…" Cid crossed his legs and leaned back in the chair, "We haven't gotten much rest with the squirt hauling us around to different events and playing tricks on us whenever we blink." A bit sourly he grumbled, "I swear I had more than 5,000 gil on me when I first arrived."

"Daddy," Marlene broke the negative atmosphere. "Are all the places like this?"

Barret turned to answer her, but as he opened his mouth, the door flew open, slamming against the wall. Yuffie marched in confidently.

"Yikes! Be careful! I ain't gonna pay for property damage youcause." Cid exclaimed. "And learn to knock, would ya!"

In a slight huff, Yuffie deflated, "I didn't hurt anything." Turning a sly grin on the two kids, she announced, "We're going to the Wonder Square. It's not as fun as the Speed Square or even the Chocobo square, but Tifa thinks it's the best place to start. So let's go!"

Denzel stepped forward and Marlene sprung from the bed.

"Can I go, Daddy?" Marlene asked with extra softness in her voice in case he was thinking of saying no.

Barret didn't even hesitate in warning Yuffie, "If you take her near the Ba–"

"Aw, don't you worry," Yuffie tugged on her short jacket. "I won't get on your bad side," she promised, and to show she meant it, she rushed Cloud and hooked an arm around his and dragged the surprised blond with her to the door. As the door closed, Yuffie's voice echoed back, "At least not today!"

Cid shook his head as Barret frowned. "Don't worry about it. Cloud cares enough about them kids; he won't let them go where they ain't supposed to."

* * *

><p>The afternoon exhausted Cloud, and he was a man of high stamina.<p>

First they got gil from Tifa – 500 for Denzel and 500 for Marlene. Next, the Wonder Square. Yuffie laughed at the expressions donning the children's faces as they stared at all the alluring bright colors and various game machines. The woman at the front welcomed them as they came in and offered to recommend the best operating games, but Yuffie waved her off.

Marlene and Yuffie ended up dragging each other to different places, Yuffie showing her a machine, letting her try it, and then having to resist the urge not to intervene and win for her. Then Marlene took Yuffie's hand and pulled her to another lit-up corner and asked questions about the games in that area. Cloud, not too eager to browse the low-quality entertainment section of the Gold Saucer, let Denzel tug him around to various corners, asking questions as they went.

"Have you ever played this one?" Denzel hadn't asked a personal question until they reached the back room with a motorcycle mini-game displayed for use.

Surprisingly, Cloud shook his head. "It can't make up for the real thing," he answered simply.

"What about this one?" Denzel observed a late teen jumping off a mounted snowboard. "It looks kind of fun."

"Go ahead," Cloud urged.

"Is it any good?"

"Not the same as the real thing, but good enough if you never plan to snowboard for real."

The answer satisfied Denzel and he jumped up.

… … … …

"What's this?" Marlene pointed to a small clear ball mounted in the corner, almost out of sight.

"It's a fortune teller, but it's really lame," Yuffie rattled off unimportantly, simultaneously winning a second match against the wrestler near the front entrance. "It just says stuff like 'your lucky color is blue'. Or was that one of Cait Sith's old fortunes…?"

Marlene glanced at the large enticing glass ball.

"Anyway," Yuffie paid up for another round of arm wrestling. "It's not worth wasting gil on."

Marlene watched Yuffie concentrating on her pretend opponent's arm muscles. Looking back at the ball, Marlene quickly slipped gil into the slot and waited as the paper scrolled out. She only managed to quickly stuff it into her dress pocket before Yuffie began walking toward her. Bringing her most innocent look forward, Marlene listened attentively to Yuffie's suggestion of finding the boys. She'd have to read it later.

Finding the boys didn't take long.

Cloud and Denzel had the whole third floor on edge.

Once Yuffie saw the tension, she broke into cheers. "Come on, Denzel!"

Marlene cocked her head, trying to understand just what had happened to the spiky haired blond and his young emulator. They stood frozen on two converged platforms and held controllers in their hands – that being the only part of them moving. However, in front of them stood projected duplicates that faced each other. The doppelgangers threw punches with dodging and blocking. Neither was hitting the other. And even more confusing, a little number flashed in front of Cloud's and Denzel's controls – "9".

"Yuffie, I don't get it," Marlene asked tentatively. Now, Marlene had a lot of education and common sense filling her mind, but in all honesty, she never used nor was exposed to too much high-level tech. More importantly, she didn't know how the game worked so she didn't know how to tell who was winning.

Marlene tried asking Yuffie again, but her attention was long gone, focused on jumping up and down while yelling commands to Denzel. An attendant noticed the confusion in Marlene's eyes as she squinted at the "9" flashing on the control center.

"You want to know how this game works, honey?" the attendant offered, crouching beside Marlene.

Marlene nodded. Cloud had told them earlier that of all the workers at the Gold Saucer, the ones in the Wonder Square were the kindest because they specialized in working with the hundreds of vacationing kids passing through and had to have a soft temperament to not lose their cool when stressful situations arose. So Marlene felt safe enough with this woman speaking to her. And anyway, she had Cloud nearby and Yuffie right next to her if anything happened.

"It's a projected boxing match, although only punches are allowed. From the controls, players manipulate the actions of their avatars. You see the little red _9 _next to their hands?"

Marlene affirmed with a simple nod.

"That counts how many times they have been hit. They each have a nine by their controls. If you are hit ten times, you are out of the game."

"So it's a tie?"

The woman smiled and straightened. "Yes." Glancing down at Marlene, she asked, "You know them?"

Proudly, Marlene smiled, "Uh-huh!"

"See the one with blond hair? I used to know him. A couple years ago I worked in the battle square at the register. He was a real regular, that one." She smiled almost fondly. "I asked him once why he came back so often and worked so hard on the monsters." She smiled tenderly at Marlene. "You know what he told me?"

Marlene frowned and slowly shook her head.

The attendant gazed back at Cloud and watched the traces of a smile escaping onto his lips as the tie continued unbroken, undeterred. "He told me he was looking for something. Something to make him stronger. Better. He said he had a feeling he'd find it here. So he fought and fought. And one day he registered for battles through the whole night. Some competitors do that if they are trying to rack up points for the top prizes, but most run out of stamina before long. Not him." She shook her head with a sad, reminiscent smile. "He fought through all the battles. My shift ended that evening, but I– I got worried he was pushing himself too hard so I stayed through the whole night and waited for him to come out… I didn't need to worry." She gave a strange little laugh. "He came out looking like death itself, but he marched straight to the prize machine and traded every last battle point for a specific item, like he'd had his eye on it for a long time. I didn't see what he got, and he left right after obtaining it. I suppose he found what he was looking for." She glanced down at the floor. "You see a lot of people go through that arena. Sometimes people don't even come out alive. Your friend," she nodded at Cloud, "I haven't seen him since that night, but I haven't forgotten him. People like that…you can't forget those ones who grab a challenged and then never let go till it's through."

Beside them, Yuffie screamed angrily. "Denzel, no! You have to get his left. Not _that _way, the other– NO, NO, NO! You're doing it all wrong!"

Marlene liked Yuffie, but to be safe, she stepped a bit closer to the attendant in case Yuffie decided to jump into the brawl. "Hey," Marlene asked. "Not to be rude, but why tell me this?"

The woman closed her eyes a moment before taking a deliberately long look at Yuffie to assure that the hyperactive girl was preoccupied. Leaning down to Marlene's ear level, the lady whispered, "Can you keep a secret?"

Marlene sobered her expression.

"When I was younger, I lived in Midgar. You know where that was?"

"Yes."

"Good. It was only a few years before I decided to get a job here. At the time, I was doing some small grocery deliveries for my mom on the plate. I was walking along with my arms full of bags when a squadron from the militia ran by. They were all young, rambunctious boys. Maybe they didn't see me, or maybe they didn't care. Either way, I ended up on the ground with my produce scattered on the streets. It had been a long day and I felt like crying or screaming. But then, this boy separated from his unit and came back to help me. He acted like such a gentleman and kept on apologizing and asking if I was alright. After we picked up all the vegetables, I tried to thank him. He interrupted and asked if there was anything he could do more to help me. His troop was far ahead by now, and I knew he would likely be punished for doing the right thing, but I so wanted to know…" she again gazed at Cloud with a wistful look. "I asked to see his face. So he took off his helmet, and as soon as I saw those gold spikes, I fell for him. His job demanded he do his duty as a soldier, but he instead went against the rules to help me. That's the kind of person he was, and I fell hard for him. But…I never told anybody. I suppose I just…wanted someone to know, because he's not mine, you understand?"

Marlene nodded, getting it, but not really.

"Can you do me a favor and not tell him anything I said?" She smiled ever so sweetly, half desperation in her eyes.

Marlene crossed her heart. "Promise." Although, looking at Cloud again, she _wanted _to tell him. To remind him of a girl that he had made a difference for.

* * *

><p>"How did you know I was going to win?" Denzel asked Yuffie as they swaggered down the steps from the Wonder Square to the tubes.<p>

Yuffie scoffed and crossed her arms. "Easy. Cloud wasn't trying to win. He was just trying to make it harder for you to win so you could feel good about your victory."

Cloud denied, "No, I actually tried my hardest. That game isn't my style."

"Honest?" Denzel grinned up at him. The victor didn't really matter to either of them. Playing had been the best part.

"Okay, then," Yuffie stepped in front of them, walking backwards to face Cloud. "If pretend hand-to-hand combat isn't your _style, _what do you _really _like here?" She knew, but she wanted to hear it.

"_Yuffie_," Cloud's face reddened, a phenomena in itself. _Nobody _could embarrass Cloud.

"What?" Marlene and Denzel asked in unison.

Cloud seemed to shrink and look six years younger as Yuffie crowed, "What else! He's the best chocobo racer the Gold Saucer has ever seen. He even beat Joe in the S class races."

"What's so bad about that?" Denzel prodded Cloud. A motorcycling ex-SOLDIER that can manage six swords while travelling high speeds liked chocobo racing? That wasn't very embarrassing.

Yuffie blocked the entrance to the Ghost Square with two firmly planted feet. "It's bad cause the race announcer always thinks Cloud falls off his chocobo at the starter line because he can't tell Cloud's hair apart from the chocobo feathers and Cloud's racing get-up blends in with the saddle!"

Marlene giggled at the image, but Denzel requested, "Do you think you could race while we're here? I've never seen a chocobo race."

"Yeah!" Marlene chimed in.

Cloud shook his head almost wearily. "We'll see."

Yuffie chuckled and jumped down the tube.

At the Ghost Square, Marlene lagged purposefully behind, dragging Denzel back with her.

Denzel inquired. "Something wrong?"

Marlene removed the fortune strip of paper from her pocket. "I got this from a fortune teller machine."

"Really?" Denzel took the paper and read it in one sweep of his eyes. "That's lame," he handed the paper back. "It's almost like parental advice or something."

"What does it say?" Marlene frowned at the paper.

"You don't know?"

Presenting a moue, she reiterated, "I didn't have time to read it." The words on the little strip read simply: _Avoid dark places. _Marlene gazed at it disappointedly. "Well, Yuffie _did _say the fortune teller wasn't real."

Denzel shrugged. "I wouldn't worry about it." He moved up ahead with the others, leaving Marlene to her pensive pace.

Shrugging she dropped the paper on the lawn to the side of the path. Denzel was right. Don't worry. She was just trying to make up for her disappointment. That was all. Just another generic fortune. Right?

* * *

><p>This is the third re-write and the first time I've had to completely rewrite an entire chapter. Every time I rewrote it kept getting longer and longer, and now I believe this is the longest chapter. Yikes! Anyway, sorry for the wait. And here's my apology in advance for next week. I am working on a Christmas giftfic for a friend in the Merlin fandom so I will either not have a chapter out next week or it will likely be later like this time.<p>

Anyway, next time we're gonna have some fun! (Ooo! I've been waiting for this next chapter for a while now! Hehe!)

-Dante


	7. Chapter 7

Thanks everyone for waiting for me to finish the "The Missing Rose" and to get through the holidays. Now that those are done I should be on top of updates again. So, again, I'll stick up a **disclaimer **– **I don't own Final Fantasy VII** – since I like this story enough that I don't want to see it torn down.

**ALSO, an important note on the story**: A few days ago I figured I should make sure all my descriptive facts were accurate for this story. To check that out I got on my copy of FFVII and ran around the Gold Saucer for a lovely little while. Gah! As I ran through the Wonder Square I realized there are only _two_ rooms and the fortune telling machine is in the second room not the first. I'm so sorry! I decided to keep the fortune teller where I accidentally put it, but I'll go back and mesh the second and third floors into a single second floor. Anyway, now that I've revealed that, on with the fic!

* * *

><p>"Aaagghh!"<p>

Alarm clocks didn't have the capacity to screech as loudly as Cid did the following morning, and there was no better sound to wake up to than a screaming human being. Thankfully only the guys next door heard the sound.

Cloud threw open the door with a bang, Barret behind him and Denzel rubbing his eyes sleepily. Inside the hotel room, Vincent stood, fully dressed, by the window, a single eyebrow raised in barest amusement. Nanaki nosed his way from under the covers on his bed, looking none surprised to see them standing in the doorway ready to take out whatever had strangled an angry scream from their typically stoic pilot.

Upon seeing Vincent's placid expression, Cloud understood there was no cause for concern. So in indifference, he leaned back against the entrance wall, arms folded. Denzel yawned once and came to lean against the wall near Cloud, eyes half shut.

Not catching on, Barret forced his way past Cloud and looked around for Cid. "Wha's goin' on here?" He located the source of the sound coming from the bathroom, the shower running.

"Yuffie," Nanaki explained simply.

Sure enough, Cid's angry cussing soon burst through the closed door as the water shut off. Barret grunted and lowered his gunarm.

"How early is it?" Nanaki shuffled the tangle of covers around with his paws to see the alarm clock on the bedside table. Vincent saved him the trouble.

"5:30."

Barret frowned. "What's he doin' up so early. I thought this was a vacation."

Nanaki settled back down under the blankets, kicking out his back paws and stretching out full on the mattress. "Trying to stay one step ahead of Yuffie I suppose."

"She's made Cid her target," Vincent explained.

Barret gave a grimace. "Better him than us."

They heard some noises emerging from inside the bathroom, each sound punctuated by a distinct swear word. Cloud watched the door, faintly curious what Yuffie had done to cause such an outburst. He had no doubt that if she was awake, she was laughing her little heart out in devilish glee.

"Cloud," Nanaki alerted him.

Cloud frowned at Nanaki, not understanding, but suddenly something slumped against his side. Glancing down, Cloud saw that Denzel had slid into him, his body swaying on its feet as he teetered on the realm of unconsciousness. Hesitating only a moment, Cloud wrapped an arm around Denzel's shoulders to hold him up.

"Back to bed," Cloud spoke softly.

"Mmm," Denzel blinked awake again. "But I want to know what happened."

Barret grumbled in agreement. "I'm beat, but I want ta know too." With that he marched to the bathroom door and rapped on it hard. "Yo! You gonna tell us wha's goin' on?"

"Hold your britches!" Cid barked from inside. Moments later the door opened. Barret backed up; his face contorted as he struggled not to snort and laugh aloud. Even Cloud had a hard time staying expressionless.

Cid stood in the doorway, shirtless and red-faced. His normally blond hair stood straight up, something sticky gluing it together in little tufts while here and there, patches of pink highlights stuck out prominently.

"I'm gonna kill that brat," he swore.

Nanaki sniffed the air. "You smell like chicken."

"Chicken bouillon in the shower head," Cid's voice was tight with anger; it was a wonder he didn't explode again, "and red Jell-o mix in the sink faucet."

Cloud perceived the situation and made a decision. "To bed, Denzel. Come on."

Denzel stared half-believingly at Cid's wild mess of hair. Cloud urged him along with a hand on his back, forcing him out of the room before things _really _got somewhere.

In the hallway they released a few soft chuckles although Cloud cautioned Denzel not to mention it to the others. A bit more awake now, Denzel dared ask, "Can we go around the Gold Saucer?"

"This early?" Cloud looked skeptically at Denzel's soft brown hair sticking out on one side, flat on the other, and the tired expression on his face.

"Please?" Denzel rubbed the sleep out of his eyes and begged again, his eyes brighter than before.

Cloud thought for a moment while he looked down at himself. He wanted to get into his normal clothes if he were to walk in public. And Denzel needed a mini makeover too.

"Comb your hair and get dressed," Cloud consented.

"Yay!" Denzel cheered.

Cloud pulled out the key to their room. "And be quiet about it."

Denzel nodded and bounded into the room with vigor.

* * *

><p>Cloud started by showing Denzel the different squares one by one before asking where he wanted to start. Naturally, Denzel requested the Speed Square. The announcement surprised Cloud. Since Denzel looked up to him so much, Cloud had expected him to want to attend the Battle Square or even the Chocobo Square first; but it seemed Denzel was smarter than he sometimes acted. At the Battle Square, he was legally too young to participate, so he would only watch – and that only if he had an adult with him – and again at the Chocobo Square he was too young legally to either bet or ride. If Denzel were two years older then <em>maybe <em>he could count as an amateur jockey, but that was considering he even wantedto race chocobos. That left the final adrenaline pumping attraction: the Speed Square.

Six in the morning – Cloud was not very eager to ride a high speed rollercoaster that he had no control over. Motorcycles, no problem. Snowboards, not too bad. Crowded and over-heated trucks, manageable. Rollercoaster rides? To be honest, he had never been on one.

But he wasn't about to admit that.

Cloud paid for the ride with his nearly unlimited supply of GP and the two of them clambered into the seats.

The mechanics gave a lurch like the gears hadn't been oiled for centuries. That's when Cloud felt his stomach fly away. After that, he couldn't really remember anything. Denzel screaming and laughing. Random "targets" appearing in front of them to shoot for points. A sharp turn, a sudden plunge. Too much to take in all at once.

At least Denzel had fun.

Cloud swayed off the ride feeling as though he had lost twenty years of his life, and that was saying something considering all the time he had lost already. Denzel didn't seem to notice, and away they went to trade in their score for a fake masamune. It was only then that Cloud threw up, and, in light of that, Denzel kindly didn't accept the replica sword.

* * *

><p>As soon as the others in their group woke up, they took turns showing the kids around. Yuffie and Tifa pulled shift late in the afternoon, and on Yuffie's insistence they spent most of the time in the Chocobo Square. In the main center of the busy room, Yuffie showed Denzel and Marlene how to place bets and the best way of knowing who would win. Of course her methods only worked fifty percent of the time, but she claimed she hadn't tried to pick the winner half the time.<p>

Fifteen minutes into their tutorial of betting, Tifa received a call and stepped onto the front steps to have a clearer conversation. Taking advantage of Tifa's absence, Yuffie gathered Denzel and Marlene close.

"Your turn." She laid out the information pamphlets on each of the top jockeys for the upcoming S class race. "Who are we betting on?"

Marlene squinted at the pictures of the riders and their chocobos. Most of the proud birds were colored black or gold. One picture in particular caught her eye. Denzel beat her to it, however.

"That's Cloud!"

"WHAT?!" Yuffie squawked, pressing her nose against the picture. "That jerk! Why didn't he tell us he was racing today?"

"Didn't want a crowd?" Denzel shrugged.

Yuffie dropped the papers and marched over to one of the registration ladies standing to the side of the dimmed room. The woman certainly wasn't the average worker. Her crazy hair and make-up caused her to stand out even in the room filled with oddly dressed people.

"Ester?" Yuffie stopped a step short of mashing the woman's toes. "Has Cloud been here today?"

Ester smiled. "In fact, he was here a half hour ago. He's in for the next S class race."

Yuffie immediately turned on the children and pointed a finger the air. "Well, that proves it! Lesson's over. All you have to know is this: whenever Cloud races, _always_ bet all you have on him."

They stared back at her.

"What are you waiting for?!" Yuffie grabbed each of their wrists and pulled them behind her like tugboats. "The race is gonna start soon. We have to hurry!"

Twenty minutes later, Tifa walked in to find Yuffie dancing around and cheering that this was her best jackpot win yet. She had not only bet through the system, but with a little predictive insight she had swept the betters clean with a guess that Cloud would beat the previous record for fastest time.

But even with her friend and the kids so happy, Tifa could not manage a sincere smile. Covertly, she slipped her PHS into her pocket and forced a smile as she dragged her steps toward her happy friends.

* * *

><p>The evening came suddenly, taking them by surprise. Denzel found his energy waning, but Marlene could hardly stay awake. They had played hard in the Wonder Square after the Chocobo races:<p>

_Denzel stopped, looking at the basketball mini-court and wondering why he hadn't noticed it when first walking in yesterday. Yuffie caught his look and refuted, "Don't bother. That one's rigged."_

"_How do you know that it's rigged," Denzel asked._

_Yuffie stood importantly, "Because I would have beaten it by now!"_

_Denzel stared at the backboard and hoop before glancing at Tifa. "Can I?" His money spent, Denzel had resorted to begging with his eyes._

_Tifa gave in and within three throws Denzel had mastered the game._

Marlene, exhausted, fell asleep on her father's chest and Barret declared it an early night for them both. However the Gold Saucer was hosting a play at the Event Square that night and the group in general agreed to end the day with that. Denzel in particular opposed to the idea, claiming plays were for girls; but when Tifa mentioned Cloud's experience…

"You acted in a play?" Denzel stared. "For real?"

Cloud tensed up immediately.

Tifa gave a light smirk. "The handsome prince – the lead character of the play."

Cloud turned to her warily. "How do you even know that?"

Tifa shrugged innocently, playing off the moment with a bit of lighthearted honesty. "Aerith confided in me about you."

In times past, Denzel had acquired a sixth sense for understanding his hero. The slight downward cast of the eyes and the guarded way Cloud stood affirmed that there would either be a confrontation or a slip of trust. Denzel watched them. Tifa stood with her eyes frozen in a rueful stare. "When is the play starting?" Denzel interrupted before Cloud could verbally react. Denzel stood nervously, anxious at the tense feeling that had suddenly penetrated the atmosphere.

Finally Cloud broke the silence, stepping away with the murmured words, "I'm going to find Vincent."

Denzel's eyes dropped to the floor. They hardly fought, Tifa and Cloud. The only times they let any problems fabricate into words was when it involved some painful part of Cloud's past. Cloud barely ever talked about his childhood or teenage years. In fact, the more Denzel thought about it, the more he realized he hardly knew his guardian. It seemed like every piece of Cloud's past was shrouded in pain and grief. Surely misery was not all Cloud had known. He had to have at least been happy at _some _time…right?

Tifa sniffed.

"Huh?" Denzel looked up to see tears dripping from Tifa's eyes to the floor. "Tifa?"

Again, Tifa sniffled, this time a bit louder.

They stood near the entrance to the Event Square and people passed them periodically. In a moment of insight and sensible compassion Denzel grabbed Tifa's hand and led her out through the Station to a quieter corner: the Round Square.

Using the GP Yuffie helped him earn in the Chocobo Square, Denzel paid for the gondola and tugged along his martial artist mother. Seated opposite each other, they waited for the ride to begin. Once the wheels above them began moving the gondola, Tifa whispered a thank you.

Denzel released a nervous sigh. "Are you okay?" Tifa offered a shaky smile. Denzel frowned and Tifa dropped the act, shaking her head once.

She gazed out the window sorrowfully. After a drawn out moment she whispered, "Oh, Denzel, what am I doing?"

Denzel quirked his head and suddenly got the feeling he had made a decision he would regret, at least to some degree. He had willingly locked himself in a box with a crying female. He felt helpless and more than a little under-qualified to deal with the situation. He glanced out the window to see the station far behind them. Well, too late to go back.

"I- I want to help him, but I always end up saying something wrong." Tifa choked on a quiet sob. "I just want things to be normal for once."

Denzel nodded in agreement although Tifa missed it. His life rode the awkward line between childhood and adulthood. Most of the time he could live happily as a child of the household, but there were times, dark moments in his life, when he was forced to understand things no one should. Things like death. Street living. Moving on. Abandonment. And yes, a distraught mother.

"I've tried so hard to help him, but–" Tifa drew in a shuddering breath. "I don't think I can. I'm too close to the problems he's dealing with." She looked at Denzel for the first time since they had entered the dinky cable car. For a moment she just looked outright _scared_. Denzel held his breath as she sat frozen like that for a second before her expression collapsed in tears again. "Denzel, I'm _part _of the things he's trying to move past."

Denzel released his breath, quirking his head slightly. _What?_

Tifa used a finger to wipe the wetness from her cheeks and under her eyes. "I'm afraid, Denzel," she looked at him squarely, "I am _so _afraid that Cloud will leave one day, and it won't be because he's sick or depressed like when he had Geostigma."

Denzel nodded knowingly to usher her on.

"It won't even be because he feels guilty or afraid." Tifa breathed in slow and deep. "I'm scared that one day Cloud will leave because he won't want to see me anymore. He won't be able to stand it. He won't–" She choked on her words. She tried again, but her voice had softened to a whisper. "He won't want to remember me."

"Wh–" Denzel paused to consider whether interrupting was a good idea or not. Shrugging mentally, he pushed on with his question. "Why would Cloud want to forget you? He cares about you, right?"

Tifa conceded, but insisted, "He does, but I'm just a walking memory. You see, Denzel. Cloud has…He's confronted his past enough that he can move on and get past it. The problem is, I'm always around to slip up and stick a needle in his throat. I remind him of things he probably wishes he could forget… I think I make him feel guilty." She paused, sniffing a bit and glancing out the window at the stars and fireworks display. "Sometimes I think I'm the only reason he keeps coming back to Seventh Heaven. If I didn't guilt him into making the bar his home base, he might never return."

Denzel stopped her. "You're not making sense."

"Hm?" Tifa looked genuinely confused.

"You said that you're afraid Cloud will leave because of you, but then you just told me that you're the only reason he comes home. Which is it?"

Tifa sighed. "Both."

The cart swayed to a momentary halt and they both glanced out the open windows to see why. On Denzel's side the chocobo race track flashed hideous fluorescent colors. A second later a herd of chocobos scampered past their window. Presently the wheels on top of their car turned and they moved on down the path around the Gold Saucer.

The air was quiet then. Tifa sniffed once more, her tears gone. Sighing, she admitted quietly, "I'm thinking of going out with someone."

Denzel started like someone had given him a shock. "Like a _date_?" He shouldn't have acted so surprised. After all Tifa was a popular, single woman in Edge. Perhaps Denzel had just made it his preconception that Tifa and Cloud would continue to act as his parents for the rest of his life. Instantly his security felt threatened.

To Tifa, however, Denzel's outward reaction brought a light laugh from her. "Yes, Denzel. I'm thinking of dating someone. I met him a little while before we left." She gave a strange sort of half-laugh that told Denzel she didn't really think anything was funny. "He called me today. He explained that he wanted to ask me out earlier, but–" She cut off abruptly, sealing away the rest of her words while she reflected on a memory. "But anyway. He asked me out. Officially. Said that as soon as I got back he'd like to take me out somewhere."

"What's his name?" Denzel asked slyly, wondering if he needed to worry about _both _of his guardians jumping up suddenly one day and leaving him.

"Johnny."

Oh great. The subject of interest was someone Denzel knew! Johnny the charmer. Johnny the clumsy gentleman. Johnny the honest-hearted, decent guy that probably had more than just a chance at stealing Tifa's heart. Things just got better and better. But this was Tifa's happiness they were discussing. Denzel had no right to compromise her decisions even if it ended in him wandering the ruins of Midgar again. Dimly he realized Tifa was talking again, but her topic had inexplicably drifted toward Cloud once more.

"…about Cloud. I don't know if my presence is helping or hurting him anymore. If I fall in love and get married, that will leave him by himself. I don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing, and because I'm _not _married, you and Marlene and Cloud are my top priorities. Right now I have to focus on helping you three. If I have to let Cloud go," she stopped short but forced herself to finish the thought, "then so be it." She swallowed dryly. "But I won't abandon you and Marlene. You've already had enough of that in your life."

Tifa paused for a moment, studying Denzel. "I'm sorry. I've just been going in circles."

Denzel shrugged. "More like triangles," he quipped.

Tifa shook her head and released a smile. "I feel better. Thank you."

Denzel nodded politely. He could feel the ride slowing to a stop. "In all that did you figure out what you are going to do about Cloud? …Or Johnny?"

With a sigh, Tifa smiled again. "Cloud? No. But I'm going to keep trying. If I'm not what he needs…then I suppose we'll know that the day he leaves and never returns. But Johnny?" Her smile brightened just slightly. "I think I could use the break. Even if it doesn't go anywhere, everyone needs friends, right?"

The doors opened up to where they had started and Tifa led the way out. Denzel dragged his feet a bit, glad he helped Tifa but not so happy he now had a reason to worry about Cloud abandoning him.

"Are we going to see the end of the play?" Denzel asked.

Tifa frowned. "I think I'm going to get some sleep. I can take you to the Event Square if you want to see it though. Cid, Yuffie, and Nanaki should all be in there."

Denzel smiled. "No thanks. I'm alright not seeing it. Besides, knowing those guys, Yuffie probably got in an argument with a vendor and people are probably complaining about Cid snoring while Nanaki is likely trying to get Yuffie calmed down enough so that she doesn't start a fight."

Tifa laughed in agreement. "Alright. I guess we'll skip the drama and head to the hotel." As Tifa led the way to the Ghost Square she uttered a resolution. "I'll talk to him tomorrow."

"Johnny?"

"No, Cloud." She looked down to meet his eyes. "Maybe I can make up with him. Then things will be okay again."

"Mm," Denzel nodded. After a minute he released the question jumping around his thoughts. "Cloud said he was going to find Vincent. Where's Vincent?" Denzel asked. At least then he might know where Cloud had gone.

"Vincent?" Tifa sounded infinitely better than twenty minutes ago. "I think he's in the Battle Square. Ever since Deep Ground he's been trying to develop new limit breaks. You know what I'm talking about?"

"Yeah."

"Cloud probably went to fight out his frustration or to just sit with Vincent."

"Yeah."

Tifa stopped. "Denzel, are you okay?"

"Yeah."

She gave him a doubtful look. "Well, thank you again for what you did back there." She gave him that fond motherly smile he knew so well on her. "I know you've got my back."

Denzel shrugged. "Sure."

Tifa placed a hand on his back and led him forward. "Why don't you get some sleep. Barret wants to take you and Marlene to North Corel tomorrow so you can get all the information you need for your paper."

Denzel nodded and let her walk him straight to his and Barret's and Cloud's room. He wasn't thinking about the paper. His mind had even managed to shrug off most of Tifa's worried ranting. All that he could think of was Cloud and how one day he might get tired of living with them and leave them forever.

* * *

><p>Well, I don't think there are any more important notes to add down here. So…see ya'll, and I hope you had a good holiday month!<p>

-Dante


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